The Fanged Throne

Chapter 20

The sun pressed against her tender skin, turning it a pale pink. Already she had begun to sweat in her light tunic, making her feel even more uncomfortable and miserable than she already was. Her mind kept going over dinner last night, her last night in Alzoh with Banu. He had come home just before dinner was ready, she had heard him chatting with Jahyia in the kitchen. His voice was warm and friendly, hers soft and adoring. The voices of two people who loved each other, she felt betrayed.

Elora was still too naïve to understand that perhaps Jahyia did not hate her, perhaps she was just jealous. Jealous of the girl's smooth, unblemished skin and light eyes. Perhaps she was mostly jealous of the way Banu seemed to want to protect her, jealous of the way he looked at her, the thrill of something different from home.

At dinner that night Elora had tried to act as normal as possible, smiling at Banu and Jahyia, answering his enthusiastic questions and laughing at his stories. It was so hard to pretend to be happy when all she could think about were her packed bags in the room and the awful threats from the women in front of her. Banu hadn't noticed her sadness, or if he did, he didn't say anything, for Jahyia was in high spirits. When she had retired for the evening, she didn't miss the look of glee and triumph in Jahyia's eyes, nor did she miss them this morning as she silently let herself out of Banu's front door.

Although it was early in the morning when she had left, there were lots of people milling about in the streets. No one glanced at her this time, they were busy, each had their own worries and things to do. As Elora made her way to the main gate, she flinched each time a guard walked past, waiting for them to capture her. At least Jahyia had kept her word, for not one guard bothered her, they even wished her well as she exited the city gate.

Unsure of where she was going, Elora decided to stay on the dusty road and walk straight ahead, the city of Alzoh had gotten smaller and smaller behind her until it became a speck and then disappeared from her vision. At times the road disappeared under a pile of golden sand, which shone brightly in the sunlight, hurting her eyes. There was very little out here, a few rocks and desert shrubs, which offered no shade or comfort. Her wound on her thigh had healed but the one on her side had started to throb from the heat and physical activity. There was a canteen of fresh water in her bag, but she wanted to save it for later when she might really need it.

The handle of her sword had begun to press uncomfortably into her stomach with each step she took, adding to her growing problems. As she walked in the stinking heat, her mood grew foul. If she had just stayed in Wirenth she wouldn't be feeling this miserable. Bored yes, hot and in pain, no. She wondered if Banu had noticed that she was gone or what Jahyia had told him about why she had left. Elora even began to miss the horse they had in Istath, which was saying a lot since she was afraid of horses.

The afternoon sun had risen high in the sky by the time she had stumbled into a small clearing of rocks, by which she dropped down to the ground and rested her back against one. Her eyes fluttered closed for a short rest, her chest heaving from walking all day. A small insect crawled over her hand, its body covered in brown armour. She smiled a little, happy to know she was not alone out here.

It was a while before she heard the sound of footsteps and a pair of dusty boots appeared before her. Startled she looked up just as two dark arms wrapped themselves around her, lifting her to her feet.

"Elora! I found you." Banu spoke, his voice muffled by her hair. She wrapped her arms tightly across his back as he kissed her deeply, his hands buried in her hair sent shivers down her spine. He held her for a few moments then let go, his face a picture of worry and hurt. "Why did you leave without saying goodbye?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you. Plus, I knew you would try to stop me. Jahyia she said -" He stopped her with his hand stroking her cheek gently. "You don't need to worry about her anymore." She gazed at him softly in wonder. Another thought came to her mind. "Wait how did you get here so quickly?"

"Magic." He smiled mischievously, the smile she had grown fond of during their time together. "Seriously now Elora, what exactly was the plan here? Just keep walking...do you even know where you're going?"

She couldn't help but smile at all his questions, her heart jumped up and down at the affection hidden behind his worried questions. Without realising it she had come to care a lot for him, the strange boy from Alzoh.

"Of course I have a plan, I always have a plan..." She grinned cheekily at him.

"In fact, I—" Her words died out as the air around them seemed to ripple strangely. Banu's hand shot straight to his blade just as three men materialised from thin air. In their steel-clad hands, they wielded short swords, held out at arm's length. Their armour was made from rich red leather, the fit stretched tight like a second skin. Their faces were covered by dark steel helmets with small pointed spikes scattered across the surface. The temperature had dropped around them and a dull pounding grew in Elora's ears, it was so quiet she could hear her own heart beating. The air had a strange feel to it, almost as if it had been sucked away little by little until there would be nothing left.

The three soldiers had surrounded them, taking small steps forward, forcing them into surrender. For a moment time stood still as Elora gazed into the eyes behind the helmet, eyes black as night, like two small black holes. The trance was broken by a loud battle cry. Banu had his blade raised and charged at one of the soldiers. Elora watched in horrified curiosity as the soldier remained still. Their body did not move when Banu rammed his blade through the gaps of leather armour and buried itself into flesh. Confused Banu stepped back, his head cocked in disbelief as the soldier reached out and slowly pulled the blade out of his chest. The blade fell to the ground with a loud clang, its surface shiny without a speck of blood.

While they had stared at the oddly clean blade, she hadn't noticed the other two men come up alongside her. Elora cried out as the two men each curled a hand around her arm, their steel fingers cold like ice on her hot skin. Banu whipped his head around to see the two men drag her away, quickly he reached behind him and pulled his other sword strapped to his back and ran at them. Before he could get any closer, his feet were swept out from under him and he tumbled forward. A heavy boot was placed on his back, holding him to the ground, rendering him helpless in saving Elora.

He watched as they dragged her across the sand, her boots leaving trails as she tried to dig her heels in. Her hair swished madly from side to side as she began to kick and scream, twisting her body to try to get out of their grasp. Their hands did not budge an inch, they dug into her flesh even harder the more she fought.

Elora screamed and fought as hard as she could, but they only lifted her higher until her feet dangled in the air, pumping back and forth. "Banu!" She screamed desperately. "Banu help me!" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the soldier lift his sword and bring down the handle onto her right temple.

The last thing she saw before her world went black was Banu lying on his stomach crying out to her. Then the two men with the small girl apparated from his sight.